The English education inspectorate said the foundation for improvement was honest and accurate self-assessment, a theme now common around the UK. Involving pupils as "stakeholders", through a school council, house system or open forum, was crucial, it said.
Continuous review was common in "the relentless pursuit of excellence".
Ofsted has been promoting the importance of self-evaluation for a decade but the latest inspection regime makes it central - with visits by external inspectors being a check on the quality of what managers have done internally.
All schools now have to maintain a self-evaluation form - known as the "Sef" - which is the basis for the inspection visit.
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